New York City speed cameras now running 24/7 in safety push

NEW YORK (PIX11) — Speed cameras across New York City are now operating 24/7 in an effort to improve safety and reduce traffic deaths.

Prior to Monday, the city’s approximately 2,000 automated speed cameras shut off each night at 10 p.m., not coming back online until 6 a.m. the next morning. Some 59% of traffic fatalities occurred during those hours when the cameras were dark, according to the Department of Transportation.

Now, the cameras will keep watch around the clock, a victory in a yearslong battle by safety advocates, many of whom have lost a loved one on city streets. Some New Yorkers hailed the change.

“I think 24/7 is good, because people speed 24/7 and [a] lot of times kids are playing around because there are a lot of schools, especially in this neighborhood. So I’m pretty sure that the speed cameras will help a lot,” said Sudan Muhammad, of Ozone Park, Queens.

DOT officials say that the cameras and automated traffic enforcement work, reducing speeding by 72%. Now, thanks to a state law recently signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the cameras can serve as that life-saving deterrent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Lead-footed drivers caught on one of the cameras can expect to receive a $50 fine by mail.

DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement: “Overnight and weekend crashes have become far too prevalent in recent years, and we are so grateful that state legislators heard our call for 24/7 speed-camera coverage. We thank the mayor for his support as we put together an aggressive plan to get this critical law up and running. As we make the nation’s largest automated enforcement network even more effective, we will get out the word about this new law, which will allow us to start saving lives on our streets as soon as possible.”